Commando
by Darth Echo
Summary: Aloki Tano has finally become a Jedi Knight. She now leads an impressive legion of Special Ops troops alongside ARC Commander Alpha-C. Her relationship with the commander intensifies and entangles the two in a romantic dance that leaves them shattered in their darkest hour. As her powers with the Force grow, so do her enemies. Rated strongly T. Family, Humor, and Drama as well.
1. 1: Hardships of Battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or its characters. I do own my OCs: Aloki Tano, (clones) RC Commander Alpha-C "John", (RCs) Grayson, Elliot, Tyler, Lucas, Bryce, Cole, Enoch, Max, Blaze, Red, Stitch, Raphael, Apollo, Eddie, Zack, Falcon, & James.**

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><p><strong><span>"Aloki Tano"<span>**

**Volume 1: "Clone Wars"**

**Book 1: "Commando" **

**By Darth Echo**

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><p><strong>Part I<strong>

**Chapter One: Hardships of Battle**

"General! We've picked up a signal from Kenobi," a standard white clone trooper yelled from behind the debris of a fallen building. The Jedi fighting in front of him turned her head slightly, her lekku bouncing from her movement. "Good, call for a retreat and we'll acknowledge it," she grunted in her light accent as a droid shot at her head, her just barely deflecting it. The clone activated his communication disk and called out to the rest of the troops. Within moments, all of the clones were slowly backing away from their positions towards the brush land.

The Jedi, a Togruta with red and white skin and light blue markings on her montrals and head tails, ran alongside her soldiers. They all met at the crash site of their ship, far from the battle. Once the scouts gave the all clear signal, the Jedi general spoke up, "Where is John?" Most of the troopers shrugged and muttered amongst each other.

Two clones in camouflage, heavy duty armor emerged from a path in the grass and ran towards their general. "General Tano, we finished placing the explosives," one panted as he caught his breath. The other, his armor marked with black outlining of a Togruta's montrals, took off his helmet for fresh air, revealing his rookie-looking face. "Good, but where is the commander?" Tano grew impatient, her scowl intensifying. The first commando took off his helmet, showing his blue eyes, "We thought John was with you."

The female Jedi threw up her arms, "Great! He has the detonator." The one with the black markings grunted, "I told you he wouldn't be with her, Stitch." His brother turned to him and glared, "Well it's not my fault John's MIA, Elliot."

"Boys!" the Togruta scolded, "It would be helpful if you attended to the wounded. Kenobi's going to have my head if I return his men to him marred." The two commandos saluted and jogged off to their task. Tano shook her head and muttered, "I swear, these clones are going to be the death of me one day."

"Sir!"

The Jedi looked up to see more commandos running towards her. "Sir, we've secured the area. Thirty dead and forty-nine wounded accounted for," one with a green visor spoke, attaching his blaster to the holder on his back. "From which battalion do the dead come from," the general asked with wide eyes. "Twenty-nine from Ghost Company," the commando responded, looking down at his feet, "And one of ours."

"Who?" the Jedi sighed and closed her eyes, dreading the answer. "Enoch, sir," a different clone replied. His helmet was off and he looked to his general with amber eyes. His tattoo said "Grayson". "Aloki," Stitch walked up to the scene, "You better come quickly, it's Cole." The Togruta turned from her grief and paced back to the temporary med bay Stitch and Elliot set up. The other commandos followed her, spreading out to help the medic assist the wounded.

On a makeshift cot, a clone wearing half of his elite armor was lying down. His breath was raspy and his eyes were closed. A gash about a foot long cut into his abdomen. "I've done my best, but I don't have the proper equipment to fix everything," Stitch huffed, "Besides the cut, he's got massive internal bleeding. His organs are starting to shut down." Aloki tilted her head and examined the soldier, checking for a pulse. It was faint, but still there. "I'll have to heal him through the Force," she said, placing her hands by the gash.

"Grayson," the Togruta turned to the clone that was standing next to her, "You're in charge until either John or Lucas shows up. Make sure we have guards posted on the perimeter and watching the wounded." Grayson saluted, "Sir, yes sir!"

Aloki sighed and looked back on Cole, whose breaths were becoming fainter. The Jedi closed her eyes and focused on his injuries. Just as Stitch had said, there was a significant amount of internal bleeding. Aloki found the ripped tissue and used her skills with the Force to mend it. As each rip and bruise was healed, Cole's pulse improved. He even groaned when Aloki found a broken rib and repaired it. But a commotion outside disrupted her and caused her to have to pull from her task.

Grayson ran into the tent with his gun smoking, "General, the droids have discovered our position." The general growled and stood up, "I'm on my way. Cole is healed enough to be moved. We need the wounded evacuated out of here, now!" Grayson nodded and headed back out of the med bay. Aloki looked around before igniting her twin purple lightsabers, the glow illuminating the tent space.

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><p>Aloki wiped the sweat from her forehead as she retreated behind a rock. Grayson and Elliot joined her to reload their guns. "If we don't get Kenobi's reinforcements," Elliot panted, "We're screwed." Grayson frowned underneath his visor, "You mean his troops will be screwed. Carnivore Corps doesn't get screwed." The Jedi caught her breath and smirked, "If only you were trained in battle rather than infiltration, Grayson." Elliot snickered, "He couldn't win against a dozen droids even if he was a straight shot." The said commando grumbled and shook his head, "Stupid rookies."<p>

"General Tano," a transmission came through Aloki's comm. link, "Bryce spotted John and Lucas retreating from the city." All three sighed in relief and looked about their position. "Good, make sure those two get back here," the Togruta ordered before cutting the signal. She stood up and somersaulted over the rock. "C'mon boys! Try to keep up!"

Elliot and Grayson turned to each other, shrugging. The younger brother got up and charged, flipping over a droid to shoot him from behind while Grayson rammed into two.

A vulture droid flew over the battle, looking for its targets. The Separatist pilot spotted Aloki and the two commandos and fired a missile. The impact sent the three spiraling far from each other. Aloki looked up and saw the snickering droid. Smirking, she Force-jumped and intercepted the vulture droid, jabbing her lightsabers into its belly. It was cut in half and fell towards the ground. Tano leapt from the pieces before it crashed and exploded.

An armored hand pulled her from the ground and out of the way of a destroyer's path. Aloki looked up into the blue visor, "What took you so long?" The commando smirked, "Oh, no thank you?" The Jedi rolled her eyes and lightly punched his stomach, earning a laugh. "Did you see Kenobi's reinforcements?" the Togruta asked. She peeked around the boulder they were hiding behind, only to spot three destroyer droids heading towards them.

John pulled Aloki back and held her by the waist with one hand, his charged blaster in the other. "No, but I'm assuming they'll be here eventually." A round of bombs sent debris and dust flying, causing the two to duck. Aloki grabbed her remaining lightsaber, igniting it. "Do you have the detonator?" she asked. John removed his arm from the Togruta's waist and pulled the device from his belt, "Sure do."

"Go for it."

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><p>Commander John walked amongst the rubble of the city, making sure every last droid was lifeless. The rest of the Carnivore Corps did the same. General Tano stood and scanned the scene, pondering. "You seem a bit troubled," her commander said, looking around her. "Only disappointed," the Jedi Knight replied. "Why?" John saw a droid attempting to crawl from the debris and shot it. "Kenobi gave me a hundred of his troops. And I'm only returning twenty of them," Aloki replied, a sad look creeping onto her face. John stopped what he was doing and faced her, grabbing her shoulders, "Don't blame yourself. You didn't know those droids would find our camp."<p>

The Jedi shrugged his hands off and walked away, crossing her arms. It was getting cold, and – unlike her troops who had built in heating systems – Aloki was starting to shiver. It didn't help that she was only wearing a cropped tank top and leggings. Her leather boots did not offer much heat, either. She turned to look back at John, who had resumed his task. As Aloki continued her path out of the city, she pondered on the day she got into this mess.

_I was walking through the halls of the Jedi Temple, looking for my younger sister, Ahsoka. I eventually found her pacing by herself. Ahsoka turns and makes eye contact with me, "Aloki!" I smile and roll my eyes as she runs over to me. I see other Jedi smirk as my sister practically squeezes me to death. _

_"What has you so bubbly today?" I pull away from the hug and look at her with a raised brow. _

_"What's in store for today?" Ahsoka smirked, "Lightsaber duels? I've been working on my forms." I smile and shake my head slightly, "No, we're going to meet up with Master Windu in the hangar." Ahsoka stops and looks at me with a puzzled look, "Why?" _

_"He asked me to meet him there, but I want you to go with me in case I am going on another campaign," I explain, though I feel the Force around us grow withered and depressed. Ahsoka's face falls, "Another one?" Guilt is the only emotion in my eyes now. "But you just came back from a two year trip!" she speaks the truth; I was training on our homeworld of Shili for the Trials. Windu wished for me to connect with the Force through greater skill away from the distractions of city-life. My village with hardly any electricity, a small farm, and a single forest was my home for two years. Once the Clone War started, I was sent back to Coruscant after the massacre on Geonosis. _

_"Ahsoka," I placate, "I have a duty to the Republic. There are too little Jedi now." Ahsoka gives me her best puppy look, "What about your duty to your family?" I grow frustrated, for I cannot control the orders, "The Jedi are my family." My younger sibling hangs her head, saddened. "'Soka," I pull her close into a hug, "I will be back I promise. I always come back." _

_"What if you don't?" tears begin to form in her eyes. "Then we will meet again one day," I stroke her lekku, similar to what the mothers did on Shili. Ahsoka is like a daughter to me; our separation from our family bonds us. And I will do anything to keep her safe. _

Tears formed in Aloki's eyes thinking about her sister, who she hasn't seen in weeks.

_"Master," I bow to the familiar brown robes of my mentor. The dark-skinned Jedi smiles and bows in respect, "Aloki, thank you for being on time as always." He turned to Ahsoka and grinned, "Ahsoka Tano, a pleasure it is to see you. How are your studies going?" _

_"Exhausting," Ahsoka chuckles, "but nevertheless going well." _

_"Good," the Council member gestured for the two of us to follow him. I exhale deeply and speak up, "Master, are we headed out to the war?" Windu, calm as ever, faced me, "Yes, why?" I looked around before smiling at Ahsoka, "Sister, I believe you should get back to your training." My sister nodded solemnly, giving one last bow to us before walking away. "You will return, Aloki," my master sensed my fears. "I know," I frowned, seeing Ahsoka's small frame disappear, "I'm worried about her, though." _

_"Remember what Yoda says," Mace soothed, "Attachments will lead to suffering." _

_"She's my sister," I breath sharply, "Our bond is too strong to ignore." Windu grinned in understanding, "Still, be careful, my Padawan." The two of us walk into the Jedi Shuttle and make way for the Bith system. I sit in the pilot's chair, accompanied by a clone trooper in the co-pilot seat. I try my hardest not to stare at him, for his existence is alien to me. I was still on Shili when the clone troopers were handed over to the Republic. The Grand Army of the Republic has had about a month to adapt to this change, while I have only resurfaced a few days ago. _

_"Commander?" the clone notices my spacing out and snaps me back to reality. "Sorry," I mutter underneath my breath, starting the ship up. _

_Once we are in hyperspace, I lean back and gaze at the blue speeding past the view front. It's so odd to come back from a rural, sedentary life into a galaxy full of technology. My only thoughts surround what my life might have been like had I not joined the Jedi Order. "Excuse me," I get up and head to the small compartment outside the bridge. Master Windu gives me a concerned look, but does not press further. _

_I enjoy the peace and quiet I am met with. But I know it will not last forever._

_I sit in my assigned room, contemplating the changes. Now, instead of peace, we have war. Jedi are now generals and commanders of a massive army of identical men. How could such a period of tranquility turn so quickly? Or am I so naïve that I am blind to what is the obvious answer? I feel the truth pulling at me, begging for me to reach out and read it. But I cannot. _

_My comlink bleeps, another device I have yet to get used to. The small metal disc lies attached to my wrist armor; spares from clones that Windu gave to me. My wardrobe is not exactly what you would assume to be war-prepared. Luckily I had a pair of brown boots from my room at the Temple I was still able to put on. Other than that, all I have on is my grey leggings and a tight-fitting black bandeau, similar to that of my sister's. _

_I turn my attention back to the comlink and press it. "This is Commander Tano," I answer, waiting for a reply. "Aloki, I need you to come to the Communication Center," my master's voice came, "there is an emergency. _

_Within minutes I am rushing through the doors to see Windu waiting for me. Beside him are GAR officers and clone troopers. A commander with maroon markings on his armor, a man I have come to know as Ponds, is using a diagram on the holoprojector in conversation with a naval clone. On the other side of Ponds stands a clone officer with black and green markings. Taking a closer look, I can see what appear to be slash marks and montrals on the various pieces of armor. His blue visor meets my gaze and I look away. _

_"Commander," the clone acknowledges. I nod my respects and turn to Windu, "What's the emergency?" The Jedi frowns and looks to me, "We have a situation. A mysterious ship has been disabling Republic cruisers near the Avagado system. We need to contact the Supreme Chancellor and inform him as well." I bow my head slightly empathetically. I feel the heat of the clone's stare burning into my head. _

_"You've met Commander Ponds," Windu began introducing the clones, "And this is Alpha-C. He'll be working with you on future assignments." The clone commander stood up straight and nodded, "Call me John." I couldn't help to smile, "I'm Aloki."_

The Jedi couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on her face. A Republic shuttle flying over increased her joy. The Togruta smiled wider and quickened her pace into a jog. The shuttle landed just outside the city. When the doors opened, Masters Kenobi and Windu emerged. "I see the battle was rough on you, my old Padawan," Mace said, taking in the scene. Aloki nodded and turned to Kenobi, "Master, I failed to secure the area. I only have twenty of your men left."

Obi-Wan sighed before smiling, "It's alright, young one. I'm sure you tried your hardest." Aloki looked down at her feet guiltily as the two Councilmen walked away to inspect the damage. She turned and walked aboard the shuttle, sitting in the cockpit to await further orders.

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><p>Grayson finished his sector of the city and headed back to rendezvous with the others at the shuttle. He stepped onto the ramp and peered inside at the cockpit. The commando tilted his head when he spotted the depressed Togruta in the co-pilot's chair. As he came up to the general, he placed his blaster on the dash of the control panel and sat in the pilot's chair. "General?"<p>

Aloki opened her eyes and gazed up at him, "I'm quite fine, just a bit exhausted, that's all."

"That's a lie," Grayson said, leaning in, "What's wrong?" The Togruta rolled her eyes, "Twenty…out of a hundred." The clone nodded and sighed, "I know." He placed his hand over Aloki's, "It's going to be tough, Aloki. But you need to keep going. I lost a true brother today, but I know that as long as I keep fighting my hardest, it'll get better."

"Oh, look, Grayson's got a soft spot," a sarcastic clone voice came from the ramp. Grayson and Aloki looked over to see a commando with a skull painted on his helmet. "Shut up, Tyler," Grayson growled, getting up from his seat. "Sorry I ruined your moment," Tyler mocked, holding up his hands in surrender. "You need psychiatric attention," his brother snapped. Tyler took off his helmet and snickered, "I'm not the only one."

"Lock it down!" Aloki shouted, startling both of them. Grayson and Tyler stood at attention, "Yes, sir." The commandos then sat down in the cockpit, joining Aloki in her wait for instructions. "Aren't you three a little bored?" Elliot asked as he peeked into the shuttle.

"Come join the party," Tyler joked, chuckling. Elliot did so and the three clones started a game of poker with a deck of cards that Grayson always had. Eventually, Aloki joined the game and they all started betting credits.

Aloki won two games, while Elliot won the other five. Tyler and Grayson groaned, having lost all of their drinking money. Aloki smiled, knowing how hard it was for them to lose. She wasn't like most Jedi. She let her troops go to bars and drink and practically have free rein as long as they were ready to work when needed.

Tyler smirked and grabbed a few cards. "Anyone want to play strip poker?"

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><p><strong>an: I have been making edits to this story, so there may be some minor to major changes here and there.**

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><p><strong>"There is no light without darkness." <strong>

**Until next time,**

**~Darth Echo **


	2. 2: Family

**Family **

"Absolutely not!" Grayson said, smacking Tyler. Aloki rolled her eyes and smirked, "You don't want to play, Ty, because you know I'd win." The clone narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at her, "I want a rematch!" Grayson growled, "No. We can't beat her." Elliot's eyes widened and he sighed in relief, "Glad I wasn't there."

"Me too," a voice came from behind the group. They all looked up to see John walk into the cockpit. He sat next to Aloki and grabbed a hand, glancing at the cards, "Maybe we should play a game or two when we get back to Coruscant." Grayson lifted a brow and stared at his commander in shock, "You want to play against her? Sir, are you feeling okay?"

"You haven't seen this guy play poker before," Tyler nudged Grayson, chuckling, "He is pretty wild when it comes to it. He's the reason why Lucas never has any money to go drinking." Aloki smiled, "Then perhaps we'll see if John is good enough to beat me." The commander smirked and turned to the Togruta, holding out his hand, "Challenge accepted."

"That's if we ever get off this rock and back home," Tyler snickered, "I wonder what Kenobi and Windu are doing." Aloki nodded, "Their reinforcements should have arrived by now." Elliot sighed and then scrunched his face in thought, "Have any of you talked to Max yet?" The Jedi and the other clones shook their heads as a sorrowful emotion poured into their gaze. "Poor Enoch," Alpha-C said after shaking his head.

"What happened?" Aloki asked. Grayson looked up and hesitated at first, "He was crushed when one of the buildings fell." The Jedi frowned and stood up, anger boiling her blood. "Where are you going?" Elliot asked, putting down the cards he was looking at. "I'm going to go find Max," the Togruta sighed and exited the cockpit.

"Do you think they'll send another sniper to take his place?" Tyler inquired, picking up another hand as the commandos prepared to play a round of poker. "Not one with our kind of training," Alpha-C replied. "Plus, I don't think that would be, well," Grayson stopped to find the right word, "_healthy_ for Max."

"Maybe he'll get over it soon?" Elliot asked in his innocent-sounding voice. Tyler scoffed and rolled his amber eyes, "Like that'll happen. You know how we commandos are. Those standard troopers have only been with each other for a few months. We've been together practically since birth." Elliot nodded and looked down as if he were just reprimanded.

"How do you think Aloki's taking it?" Grayson asked, looking at John. The green-eyed commando looked up, not knowing how to answer. "Well," he started, "She was pretty upset about losing Kenobi's troops as well." Tyler shrugged, "She is a Jedi, so she'd be just as sad to see them go."

"No," the commander narrowed his eyes, not really looking at anything, "There was something else." Grayson raised a brow, "Maybe she's just in shock from such a big loss. Eighty-one men is a lot for such a small mission."

"This was our first time working with other clones," Elliot added, "She probably felt obligated to return them back to Kenobi."

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><p>Aloki stopped by the medical tent to see if Max might be there. But all she found were some of Kenobi's wounded and a few of her own. A cruiser had dropped off fresh troops, including medics. This made Stitch's job much easier. When Aloki recognized one of the medics, she smiled and walked over to him, "Red? I didn't know you were out of the emergency center so soon."<p>

The clone, a buff commando with gray armor trimmed with red, turned to the Jedi from his data pad and chuckled, "Bacta tanks really are miracles."

"Indeed," the Togruta responded, taking a look around, "How's our team?"

"Well," the medic looked back at his screen and flipped a few tabs, "Cole will need at least a week in bacta. Bryce had a small blaster wound that'll be fine with a couple stitches. Zack twisted his ankle—"

Aloki cringed, hating any mention of twisted or broken limbs. Red stopped his reading and looked up, "Sorry, forgot how squirmy you are." The Togruta scowled playfully at him and gestured for him to continue. "And Apollo has a couple burns," Red finished, "Overall, not too bad."

"If only that were true," Aloki sighed. "What do you mean?" the medic asked, turning off the data pad to put it in his backpack. "We lost Enoch today," the Jedi replied, looking away with a grim expression. "What?" Red asked, disbelieving.

"Apparently he was kill when a building fell," Aloki scowled, "Do you know where Max is?"

"No, sir," Red sighed, "Does he know about it?" The Togruta felt a fire being lit in her heart. If Max didn't know, it would break her soul to have to tell the rookie. "I'm sure he knows by now," Aloki nodded, "If not, I'll be the one that tells him."

"We'll need someone to step up as a sniper," Red took off his helmet, revealing dark amber eyes and no hair. He had a tattoo on his head of the Jedi symbol, something Aloki deeply respected and admired. "I'll talk to the Council and see what they can arrange with the Kaminoans. Maybe a pair of trained ARCs would be a good start," the female Jedi said. Red raised a brow, "Why bring in more? No clone is ever going to be able to fill in Enoch's shoes."

Aloki placated him, "I know, but we still need helping hands. It was bad enough when you were sent to the medical center, but now losing one of us is going to bring the team down if we don't give it support." The medic commando nodded, "Since a lot of us were sent out for recon, you may have a hard time finding Max. If he stops by here, I'll send him over to you."

"Thank you," Aloki said with a nod, "If you or Stitch need me, I'll be in the shuttle watching the boys play poker." Red rolled his eyes in annoyance, "They're still playing? Even after you totally embarrassed them with strip poker?" The Togruta laughed at that and smiled, "Sure are. They probably want their drinking money back."

"You give us too much freedom," the commando said with another roll. Aloki shrugged, "Hey, you boys are like family. I wouldn't want you to get bored and start complaining. Plus, you're commandos. It's the only way I can get you guys to behave." Red laughed and beamed, "If only the other Jedi were as weird as you."

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><p><strong>Valkyrie 497: That's the thing. In this series, it kinda changes the concept of commandos. I originally had them as ARCies, but didn't think they would be as humorous and tightly connected as RCs. I'm trying to come up with an explanation for what they are. Yeah, they're not 4-man squads, but they are closer than ARCs. Enoch's death won't go so easily, trust me. You know the bond between Echo and Fives? Well, as in the chapter, Aloki comes across a very distraught Max who was the closest to Enoch. I'll figure out the whole RC vs. ARC thing soon enough. Heck, I might even come up with a whole new type of commando just for the sake of this story ;) <strong>

**Until next time,**

**-Echo **


	3. 3: Grief

**Chapter Three: Grief**

"General Tano, we need you to report to the command center immediately," Obi-Wan's voice interrupted Aloki's search for Max. She sighed and decided to allow the conversation to happen when she runs into him next. "On my way, Master Kenobi," the Togruta responded, turning around sharply towards the makeshift communication hub. As she passed by the debris and camp sites the troopers have made, a familiar voice called out to hear. Upon hearing her name, Aloki stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"Did you find Max?" the commander asked. Aloki shook her head, "No, I didn't. But Red told me he would let me know if he found him." John raised a brow underneath his visor, "That clumsy medic is finally off the surgery table?" The Togruta laughed, yet her facial expression hardly improved.

"What have the council members said so far?" Alpha-C inquired after they walked in silence. Aloki found it quite peaceful, yet it brought back the first time they encountered this awkwardness together.

_John and I walked in silence after talking for what seemed like hours. He insisted on escorting me back to my quarters, even though I assured him I am more than capable. "I'm obligated to go with you," he argued. I submitted and allowed him to accompany me. However, the deafening quiet was not comforting. _

_The commander's helmet was on now, preventing me from reading his face. I could use the Force to read his mind and emotions, but that would be rude, and not to mention…awkward. Instead, I just reciprocate the distance and continue striding along. Sooner or later, we'll have to part nevertheless. _

_Eventually we arrived at my quarters, having made the whole trip without encountering anyone else. I turned to John and nodded my thanks. He returned the gesture and began walking down the hallway, likely towards the clone barracks. I stared at him for awhile before opening the door to my room. As I took my first few steps inside, I frowned as I remembered the nightmare that caused me to leave in the first place. Is this the future?_

Aloki frowned upon remembering the nightmare that plagued her mind often. She almost jumped when the former ARC trooper laid his hand on her shoulder, "Aloki, are you okay?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine," she lied, not shrugging his hand away as her usual stubborn self. Not believing her, but also not wanting to press further, the commander removed his hand and nodded. "I hope Max takes the news well," he brought up, worried about Aloki's calm silence. "You know he won't," she said with a crack in her voice.

"None of us will take it with a light heart, Aloki," John said, "But like you always said, we need to learn to get past it." The clone had ceased to address the Togruta as "sir" or "general" when it was just the two of them or around the RCs, upon Aloki's request. Aloki smirked, "You're starting to sound like Kenobi, Alpha."

John at first frowned at the nickname she had for him, considering he didn't classify himself as an ARC trooper any more, but gave a slight smile. "I see they finally allowed you to carry pistols," Aloki said with a smirk. The commander looked down at his thighs were two twin blasters were attached to his armor, "Yeah, well I'm not much of a one gun type of guy."

The Togruta laughed as they approached the holo table. Kenobi and Windu were analyzing a diagram, likely the damaged caused to the Separatist tower. "Masters," Aloki greeted, bowing her head. "Ah, Aloki," Obi-Wan spoke, "Your men have done an excellent job."

"This is why we tasked your force to work with our infantry," Windu brought up, "Without their aid, we would have never been able to take down the communication tower or the blockade." Something flashed across Aloki's eyes, and John noticed it. "It's unfortunate that I lost my best sniper in the process," the female Jedi said with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," Master Kenobi slightly frowned at her comment, "Well, I'm sure we can find an RC that is need of a squad." Aloki shook her head, "That won't work. You know how RCs function. They work in groups of 4. I had 18." Windu cleared his throat, "What is your point, my old Padawan?" The Togruta started to grow angry, "I told you, my master, that if I lost any member of my team, it would take everything off balance. Enoch's partner, Max, relied on him. Without Enoch, Max will falter. Without Max, the team risks falling apart. It's like a domino effect."

"I need to find another pair of snipers, quickly," Aloki added with a sigh, "A pair that know each other and work with others well."

"Perhaps two ARC troopers, then?" Obi-Wan asked. Aloki nodded, "That seems like a good choice. "I'll make sure the Council keeps an eye out for you," Windu said with a nod. Aloki returned the gesture, "What have you called me for, my masters?"

"We need you and your team to prepare for your next mission," Master Windu replied, "Your orders are to rendezvous with the 501st on Christophsis." Aloki and John turned to look at each other, as if they were telepathically speaking. "Do you know the details of the mission, sir?" Alpha-C asked, still standing at attention.

"Christophsis is a major system that we cannot afford to lose," Obi-Wan responded, "We need you and your team to provide a backup plan in case things go off course and we need a special task force."

Aloki turned to her commander once more, as if saying, "Oh…_just great_!" She turned back around and nodded, "As you wish, Masters, but," she stopped so that they were paying attention, "There is one more thing my squad and I must do before we depart."

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><p>Aloki fought the tear that was trying to flow down her cheek. She watched on as Enoch's body burned in the fire. The commandos stood around the funeral in a circle, each looking down at their feet in grief. Only one commando had his head up. Max.<p>

The rookie, like the others, had his helmet off in respect. But apart from the others' silent vigil, Max looked at his dead brother with hazel eyes that spoke what every other commando was thinking at that moment. Aloki had to fight with all her will to not look over at the young clone. She stared at the flames, their orange tendrils licking the surrounding air.

The Togruta felt a hand comfort her shoulder. She turned her gaze slightly to peek out of the corner of her eye, even though she already knew who it was. Aloki felt comforted by his gesture and used the contact to boost her confidence. "Enoch wasn't the brightest, nor the smartest," Aloki said, addressing everyone. The commandos raised their heads, giving the general their full attention. "But he was one of us. He was strong and brave," she continued, "We are a strong team, and we must learn to stick together in times like this. Enoch wouldn't want us to grieve when there is work to do."

The clones cheered a loud "Oorah!" Aloki nodded and narrowed her eyes, "We're off to Christophsis."


	4. 4: The Battle of Christophsis Part I

**Chapter Four: The Battle of Christophsis Part I**

"Setting course to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet," a clone trooper in white armor reported. Aloki nodded at him and looked at the viewport as _The Claw_ entered hyperspace. "Report to me when we've arrived," the Togruta said before turning towards the holo table. The clone gave a crisp nod as his "Yes, sir".

"What's the plan?" John asked, gesturing towards the blue screen of the holo table as she approached. "As if Kenobi or Skywalker would tell me," Aloki chuckled, "But I think we're in for another infantry mission by the looks of it." The commando stood up straight, "That doesn't make sense. We're supposed to be leading special tasks, not regular battles." The Togruta nodded, "I know, but we have to follow orders. Perhaps they have something on the lines of infiltration."

"Hopefully," the clone muttered as Aloki activated the diagram, "Now, apparently the Christophsis system is being blockaded by the Separatists. Our troops on the surface are desperate for supplies. Our mission is to break through the blockade and get those supplies to the surface." John nodded, "Seems decent. But what's the plan?"

"Well," Aloki smirked enthusiastically, "Remember that ship they were building for our task force?" The commando pondered for a moment, "Yeah, the one with the cloaking device, right?" The Togruta's smiled increased, "We're going to use it to pass by the blockade undetected."

"But, we haven't tested it, yet," John objected. "True," Aloki nodded, "But we need to give support to the troops on the ground."

"So," Alpha-C sighed, "I assume our squad will be piloting the ship?" That's when Aloki's smile faded, "Actually, no. Skywalker and his men will be handling the operation. But you and I will be on the ship to observe its capabilities." The Jedi could feel the commander roll his eyes in annoyance, "Fine."

"Don't be ungrateful, Alpha," Tano joked, walking out of the bridge, "I could have assigned you to watch the shinies."

* * *

><p>"General Tano, we're exiting hyperspace," the clone informed as the Togruta approached the front of the bridge. "Good," she replied as the streams of blue halted. Once they exited, they were hammered by Separatist guns. "Fall back!" the Jedi ordered as everyone standing was thrown to the ground. <em>The Claw<em> made a sharp turn towards the rest of the Republic fleet.

One cruiser was going down, starting to fall apart. "Contact Skywalker immediately," Aloki stood up and made her way to the communication center.

"Finally," the human Jedi greeted, "I thought you and Kenobi were supposed to be here awhile ago." The female Jedi rolled her purple eyes, "Well, it's not like we were just taking down a communication tower a million parsecs away." Skywalker laughed slightly, "Eh, you have any ideas?" Anakin grunted as his ship was hammered with a rain of blasts.

"No, but we better come up with one fast," Aloki said as the same damage came to her ship. "Uh, sir?" a standard clone spoke up, "That command ship is getting closer." The Togruta looked out the viewport to see just as the man reported. "Put more power into those forward shields!" she shouted, eyes wide as she saw the red specks coming closer, "Brace yourselves!"

The Claw shook violently, sending a few clones sprawling. Aloki had to grasp tightly onto the holo table to stay upright. "Sir, we're losing our supply ships," a naval officer yelled. Aloki hissed and turned to Skywalker, "We should retreat."

"No," the arrogant Jedi said, "We're gonna blow right past this guy." The Togruta shook her head, "That would be unwise, Anakin. We should fall back."

"A cruiser is coming out of hyperspace."

Aloki looked away, connecting to the Force. "Obi-Wan," she and Skywalker said. Tano stood up and hailed the older Jedi's ship. As soon as he popped up, he faced Anakin, "Anakin, I want you to withdraw." The Togruta sighed and rolled her eyes. _Finally, someone who has some sense knocked into them. _"Withdraw?" Anakin turned around, disbelieving.

"Aloki and I brought a new toy that might give us an advantage," Kenobi stated. "_That's _why we were so late to the party," Aloki added. Another violent shake almost sent the Jedi off her feet, but a hand pressed firmly against her back, preventing it. She turned around and gave a smile at the commando.

"Now might not be a bad time to regroup," Admiral Yularen said, agreeing with Kenobi and the Togruta. "Alright," Anakin said, shaking his head. Aloki turned to her officers, "Retreat behind the moon immediately. Make sure to bank as we make our retreat."

Aloki looked at John and gestured for him to follow her, "C'mon, Alpha. We need to get aboard Kenobi's ship."

"I still resent that nickname," the commando grumbled as the two passed through the doors."

* * *

><p>The landing door of the ship went down and Aloki and John were greeted by two standard clones who saluted. As the Jedi and commander got off the ship, the clones went up the ramp to watch over the ship. "Late to the party again," the Togruta turned her head to see Skywalker and Captain Rex walking towards them. "Master Skywalker," Aloki rolled her eyes playfully before nodding her head to his trooper, "Captain Rex." The clone in blue nodded his helmet back at her before addressing the commando, "Sir."<p>

"Good to see you, Captain," John nodded.

"Well, now that we're all acquainted," Kenobi said as he advanced towards the four. Aloki stepped towards the master, folding her arms. "Okay, so where's this new weapon?" Skywalker asked.

"You're looking at it," Obi-Wan smiled. Anakin raised a brow, "I'm looking at what?" Aloki snickered and stepped back, "Two steps forward and you would be kissing it." She flicked her wrist, causing a thud. The Togruta turned to the clone trooper who was carrying a data pad and nodded. He pushed a few buttons on the screen. Seconds later, the area around them started to fizzle blue as the ship appeared.

"It's a stealth ship," Master Kenobi commented, gesturing towards the small craft. "She's a beauty, huh?" Aloki said to Skywalker, smirking, "Not to mention _my_ ship." The younger human rolled his eyes and smiled back, "That's some trick."

Kenobi walked off with Skywalker, explaining the ship and its role while Aloki turned to John. "So, what do you think?" The commander looked at the craft for awhile, seemingly analyzing every piece. "Well, we both know that Tyler is going to paint the hell out of this thing," John chuckled, "I mean, he already turned your gunships into the walls of Corascaunt's underworld." The Togruta laughed until his last sentence processed itself, "Wait, what did he do to my ships?"

"Uh, I spoke too much," the commando whistled and started walking away.

Tano scoffed and sighed, letting the commander gaze at the ship for awhile. She turned her attention to a couple of shinies who were talking by a few crates. Not looking at them, she eavesdropped. "They're bringing an RC on the mission," one of them said. The other snickered, "He must be pretty bad to be placed among us." Aloki frowned at the comment, feeling a question pop up. "Maybe he's a defective ARC," the first trooper said, "That explains why he was put in with a bunch of RCs that can't even shoot straight."

With anger boiling, Aloki stopped listening and stomped away towards Kenobi and Skywalker. "It's more important to save lives than destroy ships," Kenobi was scolding Anakin from what Aloki could tell. "I need you to stick to the mercy mission," the Jedi continued until he saw Aloki step forwards. "Let me guess," she started, "Skywalker wants to use the ship to destroy the blockade?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "Unfortunately." The Togruta pointed a finger at his former Padawan, "You are not doing any such thing with my ship." Anakin frowned and turned to Obi-Wan, "How come she gets all the fun toys?"

"Because she won't damage them," his old master replied, smiling as he walked away. "First a special task force," Skywalker started to mumble, following Kenobi, "And now a stealth ship." The Togruta smiled and chuckled.

* * *

><p>Aloki walked aboard the ship to see the interior. "She's pretty nice, sir."<p>

A special ops clone with yellow Jaig eyes on his helmet came towards the Togruta. "Indeed, commander," the Jedi responded with a polite nod, "I hope she can perform as well as she appears." The commander nodded to this, "We'll be leaving shortly. If you don't mind me asking, general, are you here to help us get these supplies to the surface?"

"Not quite," Aloki gave a slight smile, "I'm here to see how well my ship runs, and to possibly recruit members for its crew." The sound of footsteps drew the Jedi's attention and she turned her head to see John walk up the landing ramp. "Commander Blackout," John nodded, receiving the same from the other commander. "Alpha-C."

"Are all of your men accounted for?" the former ARC asked. "All but one," Blackout sighed, "A rookie."

"Of course," Aloki chuckled, "They're always late, aren't they?" Blackout shrugged and gestured with his head towards the stations closer to the front of the ship, "Might as well show you around." The Togruta smiled at John and the two followed the ops trooper to see the tour.


	5. 5: The Battle of Christophsis Part II

**Chapter Five: The Battle of Christophsis Part II**

"Commander Alpha-C."

The clone commando stopped his inspection of the ship and brought up his wrist to respond, "Yes, Admiral?" The man replied hastily, as if he were in danger, "Tell General Skywalker to hold his departure!" Although confused, John replied crisply, "Yes, sir." He turned to see the Togruta looking at him with a raised brow, "What is the emergency?"

"Didn't say," the trooper responded with a non-chalant shrug of the shoulders. "Only you could be so lenient with orders," Aloki snickered, rolling her purple eyes. John gave a small snort and brushed passed the Jedi towards the bridge. There, he found Skywalker conversing with the Shadow Trooper pilot. "Sir," the commander saluted.

"Is there something wrong, commander?" Anakin asked, sensing the tone in the clone's voice. "Admiral Yularen has requested that you delay your mission," John brought his hand to his side as he reported, still standing at attention. All of his years of training nipped at his ankles for him not to slack around a superior authority.

_But how come I naturally loosen around General Tano_, John thought to himself, not noticing Skywalker responding to his report. "Um, Commander?" Anakin's brow raised as he waved a hand in front of the clone's face. "Sorry, sir," Alpha-C knocked on his bucket, "A little helmet static."

"Of course," John couldn't help but notice the faint hint of doubt in the Jedi's voice. "Well," he started, "I guess we'll have to wait for a few more minutes. Check in with Blackout and make sure that everyone is accounted for."

"Yes, sir," Alpha-C nodded crisply and turned sharply on his heels. _That wasn't embarrassing_, he thought sarcastically. The familiar baby blue markings of the Togruta came into view. She had her back turned towards him as she talked with Commander Blackout. John had to admit that he didn't find the view of her back displeasing at all. He had a nice study of her exotic head-tail, which stopped just under her shoulder blades.

The general's attire—a dark brown, cropped tank top matched with black leggings and leather boots—expressed more of her body. John had always suggested that Aloki wear armor—besides the clone glove and forearm armor she wore to attach a comlink to—but to no avail. And the very reason for his request was the temptation to look at her.

"General Tano?" the clone spoke up, causing the Jedi to turn around quickly. "Yes, Commander?" she replied, calm as ever. "Skywalker wants to check in and make sure everyone's on board," John responded, "I assume that as soon as Admiral Yularen meets with the general, we'll be leaving." Tano rolled her eyes and forced a laugh, "Of course we will. Anakin wouldn't have it any other way. Very well."

Aloki spaced out for a moment, thinking back to the day she had met the young Jedi.

_During their one of their daily walks through the Temple, Master Fisto had reported that a new Jedi youngling had been found on Tattooine, and that Qui-Gon Jin was bringing him to Corascaunt. _

_"__What is he like?" the young Togruta asked. Fisto smiled, admiring the child's curiousity, "From what I know, he's a human boy just about your age." Aloki beamed, "Maybe he and I could train together!" The Nautolan chuckled, "Yes, possibly, little one. Though, it may be hard for him to be accepted at his age." _

_"__But I'm his age and I'm going to be a Jedi," Tano stated with a confused frown on her face. The Jedi Master stopped and knelt down and tapped a finger on the girl's nose, "And quite a legend you will become, Lolo." Aloki's nose wrinkled in fake disgust at his nickname for her. "Why don't I take you to greet him before he addresses the Council?" Fisto asked, already knowing the answer. _

_"__Yes!" _

_As they made their way to the hangar, Qui-Gon Jin was conversing with Mace Windu. The one word Aloki heard was "Sith", but she did not know what he meant. By the human Jedi's side was a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was intently listening to the conversation. But, when he caught the Nautolan out of the corner of his eye, he walked over to greet them. _

_"__Master Fisto," Kenobi nodded his head in respect. "Padawan Kenobi," Kit had returned the favor. "Hello, Miss Tano," Obi-Wan smiled at the Togruta, who was looking around for the new youngling. When she heard her name, she glanced up and waved, "Hello, Padawan Kenobi!" _

_"__About ten now, isn't she?" Obi-Wan asked Fisto. The Nautolan nodded his head with a sigh, "How time flies. She wanted to meet the child you and Master Jin found on Tattooine." _

_"__Indeed," Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder and gestured with his head towards Fisto and Tano. Aloki looked around in the direction the Padawan had glanced in. Seconds later, a human boy with dark blonde hair and tan skin stepped from behind Qui-Gon, looking quite amazed at the sight of the hangar. Once Aloki saw him, she walked over and held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Aloki Tano. What's your name?" _

_The boy looked at the Togruta and a smile slowly formed on his face. He shook her hand, "Anakin Skywalker. It's nice to meet you." _

_"__Finally, I have someone else to train with!" Tano said enthusiastically. Anakin chuckled and the two began talking about Skywalker's encounter with the two Jedi on his homeworld. Fisto and Kenobi looked on, amused by the young ones' excitement. The Nautolan especially looked proud of Tano. _

The Togruta sighed and turned to the other commanding officer, "Commander Blackout, I suggest you get to it."

"Yes, sir," the clone saluted and paced off for a head count. "What's troubling you?" John asked, placing a comforting hand on the general's shoulder. "Just thinking about the past, that's all," Tano shrugged from his gesture and cleared her throat, "Nothing to be worried about, commander." Alpha-C took the hint and decided not to press further.

* * *

><p>Aloki looked on as the last few crates were being carried onto the stealth ship. In her quiet gaze, she spotted Skywalker and Yularen walking towards the ramp. She gave a respectful nod to the admiral as he came by. "I did a bit of research," the man said, stopping next to Tano, holding a data pad. The Togruta looked down at the device quickly before raising a brow at Yularen, "And?"<p>

The admiral looked from Tano to Skywalker, "I believe this Separatist commander is none other than Admiral Trench." Aloki frowned for a moment, "If I remember my military history," she paused to look at Anakin, as if she could find the answer on his face. "Wasn't he vaporized at the Battle of Malastare Narrows?" Skywalker finished for her, also raising a brow.

"That's what I thought as well," Yularen sighed, "But the attack maneuvers…" He held up the data pad for the two Jedi Knights to inspect, "And then there's this." Tano accepted the device and a puzzled look appeared on her red and white face. "The last time I saw that symbol," the admiral said as the three started walking down the hall of the ship, "Well, let's just say I lost a lot of good men that day."

Aloki sighed and looked back and forth, "What do we need to know?" The group halted and the two Jedi looked to Yularen. "I have seen his work first hand," he replied, "A corporate fleet was blockading Malastare; a fleet led by Trench. That's why I recognized the tactics. He tore our ships apart, and we barely escaped with our lives."

"This sounds an awful like Grievous if you ask me," Tano mumbled darkly, her eyes narrowing. "In the end, a Jedi-led task force moved it and settled the matter," the admiral continued, "Trench's ship was destroyed, and we assumed he went down with it."

The Togruta looked to Anakin, as if asking him what they should do. He shrugged and then looked at Yularen, "Are you sure it's him?"

"Not every captain goes down with his ship," Aloki said with her accented voice, "It's possible."

"Well," Skywalker tried to brighten up the mood, "We may be in luck then, Admiral. Our orders are to not engage Trench; just to deliver supplies to Senator Organa." The fleet commander stood up straight, "With all due respect, General, I don't believe we will have a choice in the matter. If it is Trench, he will come for us."

* * *

><p>"Hurry it up, rookie!" Blackout shouted as the Shadow trooper threw on his bucket and ran up the ramp. "We're leaving." The trooper stood and saluted, "CT-1284, "Spark" reporting for duty, sir!" John shook his head at the younger clone's higher-pitched voice. As the two Shadow clones went to their stations, Alpha-C turned to report their attendance to General Tano. "Everyone's on board," the ARC trooper spoke through his comlink, "We are good to go." As the engines started, John looked around for the Togruta.<p>

"I swear," he rolled his eyes in amusement at her serenity, "If Skywalker scratches my ship, I'll make him work Guard duty for a whole month." The clone shook his head and reached up to remove his helmet, "You seem quite fond of the ship already."

Aloki rolled her purple eyes at her commander and spoke with a sarcastic tone, "It's not like this ship cost two billion credits to make." John's unusual emerald green eyes widened at her comment, "Is that true?" He looked as if just standing in the ship was in a way tarnishing it. Tano merely gave a shrug of the shoulders, "And this is the only one of its kind. In our economy, it would be near impossible to get another one."

"Just imagine what's going to happen when Tyler gets one of his artistic splurges," the commander chuckled, earning a shook of a certain Togruta's head. She dusted off the surface of a crate and planted herself on top of it, resting against another crate. "That'll be the day Tyler gets his ass handed to him," Tano joked, closing her eyes. Alpha-C at first raised a brow, but it turned into a smirk.

"Shouldn't we be up on the bridge?" John asked, looking around at the busy clones. Aloki opened one eye to peek at John, "Alpha, we're here to make sure the ship can handle the job, not how it's done. Plus, I'll be here when things go crazy and the day needs saving." The clone put down his helmet and slid down into a lazy sitting position on the ground. He rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, "Very well, general."


	6. 6: The Battle of Christophsis Part III

**Chapter Six: Battle of Christophsis Part III**

_"__C'mon Skywalker!" Tano laughed as she and the human boy ran through the halls of the Temple, "We're already late for training!" Anakin ran a few strides behind her, not as fast as the Togruta. "Fisto wasn't mad that we missed the last one," the boy retorted, huffing. "Well, at least not at you," the young girl rolled her eyes, "He was furious at me." Anakin snickered, "Guess you got the short end of the stick on that one." Aloki looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him, grimacing. _

_Soon, they rounded a corner and came upon an open door. Inside, Kit Fisto was standing in front of a group of younglings, who were all practicing with training lightsabers. The Nautolan turned his head and gave the young Togruta a scornful glare. "I see that you and the young Skywalker have finally decided to show up for your lessons," he said. Aloki bowed her head respectfully, "I'm sorry, Master Fisto. There is no excuse for our absence." _

_Fisto sighed, "Indeed. Well, you might as well get on with the lesson." _

"General Tano?" a wave of turbulence caused the Togruta to wake up sharply. She glanced around until her eyes caught Commander Alpha-C standing a few feet away, looking at her quite curiously. "General, are you alright?" he asked. "Never better, Commander," she replied, standing up, "Just resting, that's all."

"We're passing by the blockade," John said, "General Skywalker has requested your presence on the bridge." The Togruta yawned and frowned, "Of course he has."

As the Jedi Knight made her way towards the front of the ship, she watched the clones working silently on the controls. "They work pretty well," Aloki commented, earning a nod of agreement from her commander.

"Ah, finally," Skywalker whispered as Tano came up next to the pilot's chair. "It's eerily silent in here," the Togruta said with narrowed eyes. "Eh, just wait until we get to the surface," Anakin chuckled as the ship slowly made its way past a Separatist cruiser. It was unnerving as the canons of the ship seemed to almost impale them as they went by.

As soon as they completely surpassed the first ship, Anakin smirked, "Looks like they can't detect us."

"Yes, but if you get any closer, they won't need scanners to know we're here," Admiral Yularen sent back with a wave of his hand. "Relax, admiral," Aloki smiled, "Besides, you wanted to come on this ride."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Commander Alpha-C said, standing behind the clone's chair. "General, we have incoming bombers," the co-pilot said. "Well fek," Tano gritted through her teeth, "I thought they couldn't detect us."

"Incoming at 15000," the clone reported. "That's what I was thinking," Skywalker said, looking at the Togruta. "What's our defensive capability?" John asked, looking down at the clone. "Torpedoes and anticraft canons, commander," the clone responded, "But we'd have to de-cloak to use them."

"But if they don't know we're here," Aloki hissed, "That'll give our position away pretty easily." The Togruta could sense the bombers coming closer. "9000…8000," the pilot said. "Have they detected us?" Aloki asked, staring out the viewport. "Can't tell, sir."

"If we are to go on the defensive, we must do it soon," Yularen said with urgency. Skywalker and Tano gave each other a look that spoke their words for them. "Stay cloaked," the female Jedi said. "Power everything else down," Skywalker added, "Let her drift."

The main lights turned off and a whole new level of suspenseful calm came over the crew. "1000."

"They're going to hit us," the admiral said, grasping onto Anakin's chair. "500!" Tano closed her eyes and focused on keeping herself calm as the seconds ticked by. Everything seemed to slow down until eventually the sound of a vulture droid reached their ears.

The squad of hyena bombers passed over them, totally oblivious to their existence. Aloki sighed in relief as John spoke up, "They missed us. They don't know we're here." The Togruta's eyes widened in realization, "They're heading for Senator Organa on the surface. They're going to bomb it!"

* * *

><p>"Anakin?" The two Jedi looked over to see Obi-Wan's holo transmission. "I've just spoken to the senator," Kenobi said, "They desperately need our help. Continue with the mission to the surface. I will engage Trench with the ships I have left."<p>

"Master, with all due respect," Aloki stepped forward, "You do not have the supplies to do such a thing. Trench wants you to face him. It's a trap!"

"Aloki is right, Master," Anakin said, "You won't stand a chance against him."

"No matter," Obi-Wan said, "Get those supplies to the command center. I will worry about Trench. Do no—"

"That won't work," Skywalker said, "Prep torpedo tubes 1 through 4. Fix them onto Trench's ship. "Sir?" John asked disbelievingly. "You heard me right, commander," Anakin gave the clone the death stare. "What are you doing?" Kenobi shouted in objection. "This ship has the best chance of destroying Trench's ship," Anakin said with a smirk.

"I'm not sure I approve of this plan," Aloki said, raising a brow. "I want those supplies on the surface _now_," Obi-Wan ordered. "Don't worry, we're on it," Anakin said with a smirk, shutting off the transmission. "You better know what you're doing, Skywalker," Aloki said with a laugh and a roll of the eyes. "I hope so," Anakin said, turning the engines back on.

The Jedi Knight steered the ship towards Trench's. "Prepare to de-cloak on my command," Tano said through the comm. channel, "Prep torpedo tubes one through four. Fix your target onto to Trench's flagship."

"You do realize that our torpedoes won't be enough to take down the entire craft, right?" Yularen's skepticism kept on going. "All we want is for Trench to think about us instead of the surface," Skywalker said.

Aloki smirked, looking at the command ship, "It's time to introduce ourselves." Anakin prepared for just that, "Get ready to fire those torpedoes on the fixed target."

"Disengage cloaking device," Tano said firmly. She waited for a few seconds to allow Trench to see them. "Fire!" The missiles aimed for the bridge, but were blocked by their shields.

"That did little good," the admiral said. "Re-cloaking in 9," Tano counted down, looking unaffected. But, a set of missiles were shot at them. "Too late general!"

"Pilot, prep flares!" Skywalker ordered. "Launch flares," A smirk crept onto Aloki's face. The clone Shadow pilot sent four flares out, which caught the eye of the missiles. "Cloak!" the Togruta shouted.

As the stealth ship cloaked, the missiles went for the flares. "He's going to shoot after you," Tano said to Skywalker. "Incoming," the pilot said a mere few seconds later. Anakin harshly steered the ship as a flurry of red lasers came towards the ship.

In the rough side to side movement, Aloki lost her grip on Skywalker's chair. But, she bumped into an armored body. "You always need someone to catch you, don't you?" John smirked underneath his helmet. Aloki rolled her eyes and huffed, grabbing the chair once more.

Eventually, Anakin was able to maneuver them past the line of fire. "Finally," the Togruta chuckled. She turned to the commander and gestured towards the back of the ship, "You might want to check up on the shinies." Commander John snorted, "They can cry about their boo-boos later."

"John," Tano scolded lightly, punching his shoulder. "Alright, alright," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. As the commander made his way to the back of the ship, Aloki turned to Skywalker. "I wonder what Trench's next move will be."

"Well, now that they know we're here," Yularen pondered, "What's the plan?"

"We have Trench right where we want him," Anakin sighed, "So I'll think of something." The new clone trooper, Spark, came up to Tano. "General, the enemy is hailing us," he panted. The Togruta thought for a second before looking the clone in the eye, "Put it through." The pilot hit a button on the control panel and the transmission appeared.

A hairy, arachnid-like creature popped up, clicking. "Hello ugly," Aloki and Anakin said at the same time. "I am Admiral Trench," the creepy figure said, holding a baton, "You've made a bold move, _Jedi_, but also a grave mistake. I respect your decision to face me ship to ship. It's been a long time since I've had a worthy opponent, and for that I thank you for engaging in this little game."

Tano frowned and her eyes narrowed. She felt a growl crawling up her throat.

"Your ship is impressive," Trench continued, "But I must warn you, I have dealt with these kinds of ships before. This technology will not save you. Your friends on the surface and on your command cruisers shall perish."

Aloki hissed and grinded her teeth.

"Go back," Trench clicked, "Retreat while you can. For I _am your doom_." Tano snickered, "Sure."

"He said he's dealt with this kind of ship before," Admiral Yularen said with a raised brow. "How is that possible?" Skywalker asked. "You should ask Obi-Wan," Tano said before heading off the bridge. "Where are you going?" Skywalker asked with a smirk. "To make sure you didn't scratch my ship," Aloki laughed.

* * *

><p>"Battle stations!"<p>

Aloki looked up from the control panel as Admiral Yularen called out. "What?" she narrowed her eyes and ran towards the bridge. "What's going on?" she asked as soon as she came up to Skywalker's chair. "We're destroying that ship," Skywalker said as the crew prepped. "Of course," Tano said, rolling her eyes.

"Your move, General Skywalker," Yularen said as all of the stations checked in. "Well," Anakin looked to his old friend, giving her an encouraging smile. She shook her head as she returned the expression, "Fire!"

Four torpedoes shot straight for the command ship. "Re-cloaking in 5," Tano said to the pilot, who made the preparations to do so.

Once they were invisible again, Aloki smiled, "They'll have to lower their shields to track us."

"Exactly," Skywalker smirked. Four tracking torpedoes headed for them, causing the admiral's eyes to widen. "I hope you know what you're doing, general," he said to Skywalker. "So do I," Anakin and Tano said simultaneously.

Aloki grasped on much tighter to the chair, as John wasn't there to catch her this time. "I think he took the bait," she grunted as they made a sharp turn, "Turn off the cloaking device and divert all power to the engines."

Skywalker narrowed his eyes in determination as he guided the stealth ship towards Trench. Aloki stood up straight the best she could as they came within a few meters of the bridge.

_Aloki focused and kept her balance on the top of the pole, but having two nexus hunting her down did not help much. One started climbing up to grab her, sinking its claws into the hard rock. The Togruta gathered her chains and brought them behind her, ready to strike. _

_The creature jumped and she threw the chain forward. _

They passed over the bridge quickly and kept their speed while the command ship exploded. Aloki pressed gently on her forehead in attempt to wipe the memory away.

A hand settled on her shoulder as the cheers of clones filled the cabin. "We did it," John's gruff voice came. The Togruta looked up with a smirk, "Eh,that was easy."

The group on the bridge turned as the holoform of Kenobi appeared. "I hate to say you were right," he sighed, "But good job. We'll begin our march on the surface immediately." "Wait up for us, Master Kenobi," Aloki chuckled, "We'll be delivering the supplies to the surface."

The older Jedi Knight dipped his head, "You should be happy to know that your troops are on their way." Tano raised a brow, "Troops?"

"Yes, the Chancellor ordered a fresh legion for our mission on Christophsis," Obi-Wan said, "He made it quite clear that you and Commander Alpha-C are to be in charge of it." The clone commander looked at Tano before facing Kenobi, "Sir, what about the Carnivore Corps?" The Jedi Master stroked his beard, "That is something you will have to discuss with the Chancellor. Apparently, they are not in the mission anymore."


	7. 7: Ambush

**Chapter Seven: Ambushed**

John stood by, raising a brow at the fuming Togruta. He had taken his helmet off as soon as they had reached the surface. The crisp, fresh air blew against his neatly shaven face. The corner of his lips curled into a smile as the woman began cursing in her native language. He set his emerald smirk upon her, totally amused by her reaction.

"Not in the mission?" she threw her arms up in the air, "What the fek is that supposed to mean?" She snickered, "The boys aren't going to be happy about this kriffing decision." The commander shook his head and his smile increased. Tano noticed and glared at him, "Oh, and what is so funny to you?" The clone merely gave a blank look, trying his hardest not to laugh. "Nothing, general," he said.

"That's what I thought," she huffed before anger poured back into her eyes. "Whose bright idea was this, anyway?" Aloki asked. John gave a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders, "Maybe they don't want what happened on the last mission to happen again." The Togruta rolled her eyes, "Then why would they ask us to come out here?"

"First, they needed us to see the stealth ship," the clone said, holding up a finger, "And, you and I have orders to remain here until our troops arrive." John rose up a second finger. "Oh, stop being such a smart ass," Tano smirked playfully, "You di'kut." Alpha-C pretended like he had just been punched in the chest, "Ouch."

"Big baby," she rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. The woman, still angry, began walking towards the stealth ship, where Skywalker was. "What's the plan?" Aloki asked as soon as she came within a couple yards of the Jedi Knight. "Well, I was thinking we set up base first," Anakin said with a smile as he looked down at a data pad. "That's boring stuff," the Togruta grunted, "I'm talking about the action-packed stuff."

"Huh," Anakin chuckled, "That'll come later, I can guarantee you that."

"How long do you think it would take the Republic to send an entire legion of troopers from Kamino to Christophsis?" Tano asked, looking down to inspect her lightsabers. "Quite some time," Skywalker replied. He looked down at the data pad and turned it off before turning back to his old friend. "I don't think they'll be sending you a _whole_ legion," the Jedi smirked, "They probably want to make sure you can handle it first."

"Haha," Aloki said sarcastically. "Well, I know I can't fight with just John at my side. I'll need some backup."

"Don't worry," Anakin gave his signature "I know what I'm talking about" faces, "I have a plan."

* * *

><p>"So hiding in two opposite towers is part of this plan?" Aloki asked as she and John approached Skywalker's men. "A weird plan, as usual," Captain Rex said. The Togruta rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Of course." As Anakin looked out the glass window, Tano stepped towards him with a smirk on her face, "Think this will work?"<p>

Skywalker shrugged, "Hopefully." Aloki raised a brow and said sarcastically, "That is so reassuring." Anakin's comm. link beeped and he brought it up. "How are you doing over there?" came Obi-Wan's voice. "We're good to go, Master," Skywalker replied, "We're pretty anxious to get going." Aloki rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile.

Far off, the Separatist army was marching towards their position, heading down the road that separated the two towers. Just as the droids came in between the buildings, the group could see flashes of lasers and a blue lightsaber coming from the South tower. "Uh, is that part of the plan?" Aloki asked as she and John looked out the window in surprise.

"Not really," Anakin said before activating his comm., "Hawk, we need evac in the South tower." As Skywalker ended the transmission, the Togruta gave him a smirk, "We're in the North tower." Her old friend returned the expression and ignited his lightsaber, "Not for long."

The Jedi cut a perfect X into the window and used the Force to shatter it. "Captain Rex," Aloki turned to the clone with blue markings, "We need some cables." The captain nodded briskly and gestured with a hand for his troops to fire their grappling cables. Three clones stepped forwards with DC-15s and fired. "This is where the fun begins," Tano said as the hooks connected with the side of the other building.

"Follow me," Anakin said and grabbed an extra gun to slide down the cable. John handed Aloki a DC-15A and headed down as well. The female Jedi sighed with a smirk before following the group of clones.

Droids from the street below began firing at the descending Republic troops. Aloki growled and activated one of her lightsabers to block a few shots. The blade hummed and whirred as she twirled it about, also trying to protect the clones next to her.

It only took them a few more seconds to reach the other side, where Skywalker burst through the window. Once Aloki landed with a somersault, she summoned her other lightsaber and made a run for the droids in the intersecting room. In there, Obi-Wan and what was left of his troops were fending off the ambush.

"Glad to see us?" the Togruta joked, slicing off a droid's head. "How'd did you get over here so quickly?" Kenobi managed with a grunt. "Uh, we improvised," Tano shrugged and deflected three bolts. Skywalker came up behind them, "C'mon! This way is clear!"

Aloki used the Force to ram one of the stationary guns into the group of droids, "That might buy us some time."

The survivors and the Jedi ran into the opposite room and into the awaiting elevator. Aloki pushed the button to send them to the roof. "A little cramped, isn't it?" Anakin joked. Tano gave a small chuckle as the meter at the top of the doors almost reached the top. Once the doors opened, they all ran out and looked for the gunship.

"Now what?"

"Behind us!"

The elevator doors opened and a squadron of droids emerged, shooting at the clones and Jedi. Aloki ran forwards and cut one in half as she landed, impaling another in the head. Anakin and Obi-Wan soon followed, taking out one droid at a time. Tano spun around and cut a droid's arms off before decapitating him.

An elevator opposite to the one the droids came out of opened and revealed a second group. Just as they began firing, the Republic gunship arrived and stopped just next to the edge of the roof. The clones and Jedi made their way towards it, still shooting and deflecting. One clone ran up to the droid commander and used his arm to rip off its head.

Aloki jumped onto the gunship and helped the clone in. Skywalker and Kenobi were the last ones to get on board, grabbing onto the handles as the doors closed. Tano looked to the head of the droid and hummed in thought. "Hopefully this droid can tell us how they knew our plan."


	8. 8: The Hidden Enemy

**Chapter Eight: The Hidden Enemy **

Aloki walked into the communication center, carrying a data pad for the clone officers. "You asked for my assistance?" She asked with a smirk. Cody and Rex gave her a crisp, respectful nod, to which she returned. John looked up and returned her smirk, "Oh, don't act so disgusted, general." The Togruta winked at her commander and stepped up to the holotable. On the blue, graphed surface, the head of the protocol droid sat dormant. Tano set the data pad on the edge of the table and looked for the cables to run a scan of the droid's processor. Captain Rex pulled a couple of cables from his side and connected them to the temples of the droid's bucket.

The eyes flashed a few times before displaying an image. "Those are our towers," the Togruta said just before the droid began to speak. "The Republic troops are in the North and South towers, level 42," it said.

Aloki grimaced as the image began to fade. The voice of the droid turned to static and it shut off. "Dead battery," John said, frowning. "Blast!" Rex exclaimed.

"This all doesn't make any sense," the Togruta said, looking at all three officers. They each gave their nod of agreement as the doors to the communication center opened.

"At least someone else is having a bad day."

Aloki rolled her purple eyes before glancing around Skywalker. She smiled when she saw a black and green astromech rolling alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan. "Come here, R3," Aloki said, waving her droid over. R-34 beeped a happy chirp before quickly rolling towards the Togruta, bumping into R2 on her way.

"Generals," Cody acknowledged the Jedi, "They had all of our intel." John sighed and tapped a couple fingers on the rim of his bucket, "It explains the ambush."

"But not how they got the intel," Anakin finished, also giving a sigh. Aloki glanced downwards and patted R-34's head, "How could we be so vulnerable to a security breach."

"I don't think we did," Kenobi said, giving Tano a look.

"Sir, do you think someone infiltrated our defenses?" Rex asked, raising a brow. "Possibly," the older Jedi said, stroking his beard. He walked over to the edge of the holotable and gave the droid a look. He gave a slight hum of thought before speaking out loud. "It would have to be someone that has enough resources to gain access."

"That still doesn't explain how they learned our plan," Skywalker said with a gesture for emphasis. Tano placed her right index finger on her bottom lip and her thumb on the side of her chin in thought. "You're right, they couldn't act alone," Kenobi continued.

"A spy?"

All the men looked to Aloki. "A spy, sir?" Cody asked disbelievingly, "Who would want to betray our troops to the Seppies?" Tano smirked and gave a slight snort, "Perhaps it is time to look behind enemy lines?" Kenobi looked to Skywalker, who gave him a nod. "We'll get right to it," Captain Rex said. "No, no Captain," Obi-Wan shook his head, "We need you to stay here. Aloki, to reduce suspicion, you should stay here so the troops don't realize we are gone."

"You can count on us, Master," Aloki dipped her head. "The spy could be anyone," Anakin said, "Make sure no one learns of our mission."

After a brief exchange of nods, Skywalker, Kenobi, and R2 left the communication center. "This should be interesting," Tano said with a smirk. "What do you mean?" John asked with a raised eyebrow. The three clones looked in the same direction the woman was glancing in. "Has anyone noticed the loud beeping?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. They all glared at a row of comlinks. One of them was beeping to a private channel.

John stepped forward and grabbed it, "Someone left this comlink on." Captain Rex grimaced and stepped towards the exit, looking out the hallway. "Someone has been listening to everything we said," Aloki added.

Rex spotted a figure at the end of the hallway running off, "Stop!" The clones all put on their buckets and started sprinting down the hall after the figure. Tano raised a brow and looked to her astromech, whom used her utility arms to shrug. "Well, I guess we better join the party," the woman said, sighing. The two casually strolled towards the doors of the communication center.

* * *

><p>"So it's a clone?" Aloki walked back into the center. "Where were you?" John asked from under his helmet. "I tried to catch up," the Jedi said with a shrug of her shoulders.<p>

"Sir, we tracked him to the mess hall, but we couldn't tell which one he was," Rex said. "Then we'll have to find out," Tano gave a half smile.

"Perhaps we should contact the generals?" Cody asked, walking over to a holoscreen. "Seems reasonable," Rex said with a shrug. The yellow painted clone typed in the channel code and waited a few moments. All that came back was a line of static. "Well, I guess we're on our own," John sighed. "We need to wait for this guy's next move," Cody said gruffly.

R-34 beeped something and bumped into Aloki's leg. "What, what is it?" she asked. John furrowed his brow before waving the droid over, "Hey, R3, plug in." The astromech spun her head around before rolling towards the clone. He stepped to the side to allow her access to the port. "What are you doing?" Rex asked.

"The guy had to have gotten those messages out somehow," the green and black painted commander replied.

"What, do you think he just sat down and wrote a note?" Cody chuckled. "Well, we'll have to start somewhere," Rex added with a nod. Aloki huffed and shook her head at John's idea while R-34 searched for the transmission record. "This is why he's an ARCie," she said, pointing to her commander.

* * *

><p>Aloki stood by a holoscreen, searching through the security footage. Rex walked up next to her and crossed his arms, "Well?"<p>

"It looks like this traitor is pretty clever," the Togruta mumbled, "All of the security data for the past hour has been erased." The blue clone raised a brow, "How is that possible without us noticing?" Tano shrugged, "I have no idea. He left absolutely nothing for me to track his whereabouts."

"Perfect," John said sarcastically from across the room, his back towards the two. The Jedi smirked at his tone of voice and continued looking through the data. "However," she started, "I could try and send out a virus. That way, if he tries to send something else out, we would be notified of it immediately."

"Sounds like a good plan," Cody said, standing by the holotable where he was fixating a cable to a data pad. "Too bad my technician officer was sent back to Corascaunt," Aloki said with a trace of annoyance. She narrowed her eyes at John as he turned to her. "Hey, it's not my fault," he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Anyways," Rex spoke up, "Hopefully R-34 will find something that can give us a clue." The astromech turned her head 180 degrees to look at the others. She gave a few beeps and buzzes. "Well that was quick," Aloki said and stepped away from the holoscreen. She walked over to the holotable and looked at the data pad, "She's found something."

"What is it?"

"Is it the traitor?"

"Um," the Togruta titled her head as she looked at the aubresh, "I'm not sure." John strode over to the Jedi and she handed him the device. "Look," he pointed at the reading at the top of the screen, "Here's the wavelength interference. It's small, but irregular. It only shows up every few days and then disappears."

"Day to day our troops wouldn't notice it," Rex said, nodding. He and Commander Cody joined the two at the holotable and pondered. R-34 chirped and blew a buzz. "What do you mean?" Aloki asked her, raising a brow. The astromech brought out her utility arms to emphasize her point. Once she understood, the Togruta turned to the clones, "That frequency is only coming off of one terminal in the whole base."

"Which one?"

Aloki looked to her droid, which beeped in reply. "Slick's barracks," the woman said, raising a brow, "Do you know who that is?"

"He's one of my men," Cody answered. "Slick's not gonna like that," Rex shook his head. John narrowed his eyes and glared at the data pad in his hands, "No, but if one of his shinies are giving away our information, we need to find him and have a little talk."

* * *

><p>"What are you trying to say, General?" Slick asked with a raised brow. The Togruta maintained a non chalant face and paced back and forth with her fingertips touching in front of her. "Well," the Jedi began, "The frequency is only coming from your barracks. That poses a problem."<p>

"Meaning?"

"We believe one of your boys have been talking too much," Tano stopped and narrowed her eyes at the sergeant. He narrowed his vision as well and shook his head, "This is outrageous."

"Slick, calm down," John held up a hand and sighed. "No," the sergeant said in disbelief, "My guys are the best! They'd never do something like this!"

"Something like what?"

Slick turned to see his men walking through the door. He turned to the Jedi and raised a brow, "You called for them?" John scowled and stepped towards Slick, "Of course we did. We're getting to the bottom of this…_now_."

The sergeant closed his eyes for a moment and sighed deeply. "Can I just have a few moments with them first?" he asked, opening his eyes. "They all trust each other. If they found out—"

"That won't be necessary," the more buff Alpha said, pushing past his brother. "Take a seat, gentlemen," he ordered. Aloki blinked a few times whilst the clones made themselves comfortable. "You men are tough, right?" she asked with the calm look on her face. A couple of the clones smirked and chuckled, looking to their brothers as if this were a joke.

The Togruta stopped and frowned, "Attention!"

The clones immediately snapped up from the outburst and tried to hide their shocked expressions. Years of training kicked in and they put on a stone hard face whilst giving their full attention to the general.

"That's what I thought," she mumbled, smirking to herself. She glanced over at John, who was both impressed and shocked by her drill voice. "We have a traitor amongst us," the Jedi said, "And our evidence has told us that it is one of you."

John stepped over towards a clone that was sitting on a crate. "What's your story, kid?" The shiny, who had fancy side burns and a narrow goatee, looked up at the commander slightly in fear. "I, uh, was doing what I always do," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a gloved hand. The ARC trooper crossed his arms and stared down at his brother, using his strong appearance to his advantage.

"Like what?" he grumbled roughly. Aloki crossed her own arms and watched the scene with a wary eye. "I'm sorry, sir," the younger clone said, still stuttering, "I'm a bit nervous—you're my CO." John shrugged and rolled his eyes before looking back down, "The way I see it…if you're clean, you have nothing to be nervous about." The clone's scarred lip twitched as the commander finished his statement.

"Jester is telling the truth," a clone spoke from the edge of a bed. Aloki and John turned to him, both raising a brow. "He's kinda obsessed with cleaning his weapon after every battle…every time." John nodded to the clone and turned back to Jester. "So," he began asking in a more lenient tone, "You were cleaning your weapon?"

Jester nodded three times and swallowed hard, "Yes, sir."

"Did you go on the computer while you were in here?"

"No, sir, I didn't even touch it; you could check."

John looked to Aloki, asking for her approval. She gave a slow but firm nod and gestured with a glance at Jester. The ARC turned to the shiny and said, "Show me your weapon." Jester looked behind him and picked up a DC-15 from the ground. Alpha-C took the gun and inspected it thoroughly. "Freshly scrubbed," he said, handing the weapon back to Jester.

"The rags are in the corner over there," the clone pointed to the corner of the room, opposite the computer. John gave him a nod and took a step back, "Good man."

Aloki inhaled sharply and turned to a clone that sat on the opposite crate. "You," she called, "Were you cleaning your weapon as well?" The scruffy-looking man shook his head, "No, sir. I went to the mess hall." Raising her brow, the Togruta eyed him carefully as she paced forward, "Right away?"

"Sure did, general," the clone replied. "Hmm," Aloki looked away and slightly glanced at the poster on the wall. John swore he saw a look of disgust flash across her face at the picture of the Twi'lek dancer. The female Jedi turned back around and looked to the man, "Did anyone go with you?"

"Sketch, sir."

The clone Sketch, with an "S" marked in Aubresh on his forehead, sat up and looked to the Jedi. "We got there at the same time and decided to sit and eat together." Tano tilted her head and made a slight expression of understanding, "Is there anyone that was there that can confirm what you two are saying?"

"Lots of guys…ask any of them."

John stepped forward with his hands clasped behind his back, "Oh we will." The commander looked at the next man, who had a bandage wrapped around his left bicep. "Commander," Slick stepped forward, "Can I just have a second with them?" Aloki was about to reprimand the sergeant before the injured clone spoke. "I got nothing to hide, sarge," the man lifted up his arm for John to take a look at.

"Gus was in the med bay," Sketch said. "Yeah, a droid got me pretty good," Gus said as the ARC stepped forward and looked at his appendage, "Coric has the records there if you want to check." Tano nodded.

"So, Chopper," John said, to the last clone. Aloki raised a brow at her commander's acquaintance with the strange clone. She took a moment to take in his features. The man had a massive scar across his face that made him look haunting. What was even worse was the two different eye colors. On his left, he had a standard brown eye, but on his right, he had a blue one. The mutation of color made the Togruta think of her commander's blazing emerald eyes, which were near to impossible to find in another clone. She almost laughed to herself thinking how the steroids they gave him must have permanently changed the color. "What's your alibi?"

"I was in the mess hall—"

"No you weren't!" Sketch stood up and pointed a finger at Chopper. As soon as the words sprung from his lips, he began to stutter and sat down. Aloki and John both stared him down. "If you have something to say kid," John growled, "Speak up."

"Chopper didn't come into the mess hall like everyone else," Sketch said, looking to the brother next to him for support. "He came in a lot later," he stuttered.

Slick frowned and walked closer towards the interrogation. Aloki peeked at him from the corner of her eye, feeling a weird vibe. She felt as though his close presence was burning a hole in the side of her head. "Where were you before you went to the mess?" she asked Chopper, trying to keep her mind of the sergeant.

"Walking around, I guess," the two color clone said, playing with his fingers. John shook his head and sighed, folding his arms, "Son, we're gonna need a better answer than that." Chopper met his intense gaze, seemingly growing weaker just by looking at his intimidating brother. Aloki even looked slightly cautious of his charisma.

"Fine," Chopper sighed and gave in, "I was hiding in the South Exit." He reached into his belt pouch and pulled out something with metal pieces. They clanked together in an all-too familiar noise. "Battle droid fingers," Tano said as she scowled at Chopper. The Togruta looked to John, who shared her disgust.

The one blue-eyed clone saw their expressions and exhaled roughly, "I wanted something back." He fell back against the pillow of the bed, his head resting against the wall. He laid the droid fingers on his chest and shook his head. "I felt like, like they owed me for killing my brothers."

Aloki's glare increased and so did the odd feeling she felt through the Force. Something was off about the balance, and it wasn't Chopper's crime. She walked closer to John as the other clones stood up. "I knew there was something wrong with you," Gus said, pointing a sharp finger at his brother.

Chopper rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing away from the party.

"This isn't good, Chopper," Slick said in a weird tone that made the Togruta narrow her eyes at him. The sergeant made his way over to the other side of the bed rack. "You lied about where you were," he said, "You took forbidden items from a battle field."

"I know it was wrong." Chopper refused to make eye contact with his superior officer.

"I put up with your attitude because you have skill," Slick said whilst crossing his arms. The comment made Aloki suspect something. She wondered why Slick was so hesitant to let her and John speak to the boys, yet was totally fine in throwing Chopper under the speeder. "But when you break these rules," the clone continued, "I'm putting your whole character into question here."

Chopper realized what the sergeant was trying to say and stood up briskly. "Wait, I'm not a spy!"

John walked around the beds and stood behind Slick. The other clones formed an arch around the space. However, Aloki stood in her same spot, glaring at Slick, not Chopper. "We're all brothers," Slick said, "How can we trust what you say now?"

The two-colored clone looked over at Aloki. When she met his eyes, she dropped her glare and gave him a blank look. "General, you have to believe me," the clone begged. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the sergeant grasped his shoulder. "It's okay," he said, "We'll get a proper investigation." Chopper smacked away his hand. Slick ignored this and continued on, "You don't have to say anything 'til the other Jedi come back and talk to you."

Aloki and John immediately locked eyes. They gave each other and understanding nod. The commander turned back to Slick and stepped forwards. "You should tell them where you were, sir," Chopper said, pointing a finger at Slick, "I went to the South Exit. I saw you go towards the Communication Center. What were you doing there, sir?"

Aloki placed a hand on the hilt of her right lightsaber, finding comfort in its familiar feel. She walked around the troops and stood next to John, mirroring his crossed arms. Slick put on an innocent face and tried to push away Chopper's advance. "Obviously he feels cornered."

"Slick," John frowned at the sergeant, "What did you mean by the other Jedi coming back?" Slick's face fell and he scowled at the ground. The ARC trooper stepped forwards and glared daggers into him, "How did you know the Jedi were gone?"

Slick looked up at the commander and made a fist, "You know, sir, I really wish you hadn't noticed that." Before John could prepare, the sergeant upper cutted him and knocked him right into Aloki. The Jedi caught her commander before he fell to the ground and glared as Slick jumped through the gap of the beds. She helped John up, who was holding his face. "It's Slick?" he asked in disbelief, "He's the traitor?!"

As the clone ran out of the barracks, Aloki and John ran out from the beds and headed towards the door. They ran down the halls side by side, turning corner after corner, but not running into the traitor. Aloki stopped so they could catch their breath. She brought up her wrist comm. and contacted Captain Rex. "Rex? We've found the traitor," she panted, "It's Slick. We tried to capture him, but he evaded us. If you're lucky enough, you and Cody might be able to track him down."

"Copy that, general."

With a satisfied nod, the Togruta turned off the transmission and turned to her commander, who was also panting slightly from their sprint. "So," he said with a pretend chipper voice, "What's the plan?"

"I don't have one," the Jedi chuckled. John unclipped his bucket from his belt and tugged it on, "That's a first for you."

* * *

><p>Aloki and John held onto the tables of the mess hall as the base shook violently. "Was that a bomb?" the Togruta asked as soon as the shaking subsided. Her commander gave a shrug and looked around as the lights flickered.<p>

"I don't think he's here," Tano said, peeking past the cafeteria counters. "If he's smart," John said gruffly, "He would have gone back to the command center to hide." The Jedi thought for a moment before shrugging, "That makes sense."

The two ran for the door and immediately ran into Rex and Cody. "Whoa, where are you guys headed?" John asked. "Command center," all four said at the same time. They nodded to each other before running down the hallway. When they reached the door, Aloki turned to the three clones and gestured for them to go in. "I'm a little intimidating, so it would be better for you guys to go in," she said with a smirk.

"Sure," John whispered before taking off his bucket and clipping it to his belt.

He, Cody, and Rex cautiously walked into the command center, their DC-15's in their hands. As they walked around, they saw no clear evidence that Slick was there. Cody turned to John and asked him, "If you were Slick, what would you be thinking in this situation?" The ARC trooper looked around in thought before noticing something black on the edge of the holotable. He smiled when he recognized the shape as a footprint.

"My cover's blown, it's time to go," the commander said, "But a ship would be too obvious." The yellow clone nodded his approval and smirked at the footprints. Rex took his own peek at the black marks and they all gave each other and wink of understanding. From the corner of his eye, John could spot the top of Slick's head behind the vent cover in the ceiling.

"He's blinded us by taking out the power," Rex said in mock urgency, "He might disable the whole security system." John nodded and placed his gun on the holotable as if getting comfortable. "You two go to the South Exit to make sure," he said to the captain and commander. They both nodded and walked towards the door.

The sound of the door opening and shutting lead to the deafening silence.

The ARC smirked when he heard the creak of metal. The light plop of armored feet hitting the holotable increased that smile. Metal scrapped metal as Slick grabbed the DC-15 and held it to John's head. "Hello, Slick," the commander said, "The gun is empty." The sergeant scowled as John held up the missing ammo.

Rex and Cody came up behind Slick, each pointing their gun at his head. "You knew I was here," the traitor said as John turned around and took his gun back, replacing the ammo. "Of course we knew," Rex said, "You don't think we had a plan?"

"I'm not the traitor," Slick said, facing Rex, "You are!" The clone grabbed Rex's gun and ripped it from his hands. Cody attempted to shoot him, but received a blow to the face, knocking him down. John jumped in and landed a punch square at Slick's jaw, forcing him back. Slick recoiled and elbowed John in the face before grabbing his shoulders and bringing his head down to impact with his knee. The ARC trooper stepped back, temporarily blinded by the move.

Rex grabbed Slick in a choke hold before being head butted and punched to the ground. Cody jumped onto his sergeant and threw punches at his face, also receiving some. Slick managed to roll Cody over so that he was on top and tried to choke the commander. John grabbed his shoulders and threw him off Cody. Slick kicked John underneath the belt and swiped his feet from underneath him. Reaching over, Slick grabbed onto the ARC's leg and popped it out of place, also stretching out his groin. John exclaimed in pain whilst Slick stood up.

"She offered me money," he panted, "And something you couldn't understand…freedom!"

The door nearby them opened and Aloki rushed in. With one quick move, she tackled Slick to the ground, rolled over, and kicked the sergeant into the holotable. He groaned and held his head as she got up and walked towards him. As soon as his vision cleared and he saw her, he crisply stood up and brought up his fists.

"You sold out your brothers for something that none of us have," the Togruta growled. Slick grunted and ran for her, anger in his brown eyes. Aloki ducked when he threw a punch and grabbed onto his arm. She used her shoulder to break it in three places before throwing him over her. The clone groaned and held onto his broken limb, defeated.

"That is why you never want to piss her off," Rex said as he limped over towards the fallen clone. "Happy to help," the Togruta smiled as she brushed off her hands.


End file.
